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Monaco
FP11d 18h
Alpine head into the Monaco Grand Prix looking to build on its strongest points haul of the 2026 season so far in Canada, with Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto both targeting another top-10 result. Gasly said: âWe come off the back of our best team result of the season in Canada with a big haul of points,â adding that Monaco and Barcelona are a âdouble header⌠where we aim to continue our points-scoring streakâ. Colapinto said Alpineâs âtarget is to once again finish in the top-10 and continue our solid performance.â
Mercedes technical director James Allison says the run of six races in eight weeks starting with Monaco will âtestâ the team because of how quickly performance can change under the 2026 rules. Allison said: "After Monaco [there is] an intense period of six races in just eight weeks. This is an unusual season from a development race point of view - the development rate is really steep, something like a quarter of a second a month. So it's really important for us that we're able to keep performance coming to the car in this next batch of six races."
The FIA has made a late adjustment for this weekendâs Monaco Grand Prix, cutting the curfew by three hours on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for up to six team members responsible for tyre fitting. In a statement, the FIA said the concession is âdue to the unique logistical challenges presented by the Monaco GPâ and applies âfor the sole purpose of tyre preparations post tyre fitting from the tyre supplierâ, with teams required to nominate the personnel in writing before curfew begins.
The Monaco Grand Prix weekend is forecast to be largely clear and dry, with mild temperatures and light winds throughout. Friday could see a stray light shower, drizzle or fog in the morning, with a 30% chance of rain and temperatures of 17.5-20°C. Saturday and Sunday are expected to stay dry with a small 20% chance of a pop-up shower or storm, temperatures around 17-20°C (20.5°C on race day), and generally light to moderate breezes.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has reiterated his push to bring V8 engines back to Formula 1, saying the next power unit should be âsimpler, lighter, safer, louderâ and less reliant on battery power. In an Instagram post, he wrote: âI am committed to bringing V8s back to Formula 1â, adding: âIdeally by 2030, but certainly by 2031 as part of the next FIA regulations cycle.â Ben Sulayem also argued V8s would mean âvery, very minor electrificationâ and âreduced battery dependencyâ.
Nico Rosberg said his relationship with Lewis Hamilton became âproper warâ when they were Mercedes team-mates fighting for the world championship. Rosberg said: "There was no relationship. It's proper war. It's like war. No relationship. Don't talk. War! Yes, but when you fight for a world championship, you will always compromise the friendship for getting the world championship, unfortunately. It's such a big dream that you'll choose the world championship over that friendship."
George Russell says he would be willing to team up with Max Verstappen in future, either as Formula 1 team-mates or by sharing a seat in another category, despite their uneasy relationship after a public war of words in late 2024. Russell said: "Never say never. Who knows? As I said, never say never. Max is obviously one of the best. I was asked a lot last year about being teammates with him, but more in Formula 1 rather than sharing a seat. I'm up for it and would relish the opportunity to always go against the best. As any driver, you want to go head to head with the best."
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer says Red Bullâs only âsaving graceâ heading into the Monaco Grand Prix is the compliance they found with a set-up change between the Sprint and qualifying. Palmer said: "The only saving grace for Red Bull I saw was the change they made from the Sprint to qualifying, where they found a good chunk of compliance. Looking through the sector times, Max and Isack were really quick in the first sector, so that's the only hope I could see for him, and maybe they did find something there that brought them closer towards the picture at the front."
Charles Leclerc says he is âdeeply gratefulâ to extend his contract with Ferrari and will keep pushing with the team towards winning the world championship. Charles Leclerc said: "I couldn't be happier to continue this journey with Scuderia Ferrari HP. It has always been so much more than just a team to me. Together we've shared incredible moments and some tougher ones, but I believe in this team more than ever, and I'm deeply grateful that we will keep pushing side by side toward our shared goal of bringing the world championship back to Maranello."
Toto Wolff says Mercedes will put Kimi Antonelli and George Russell âon watchâ if their racing starts to threaten the teamâs result, with the team boss indicating he would be ready to introduce team orders if needed. Wolff said: "When you ask them to tidy it up, it doesn't mean you should be stopping it; you actually allow the racing, but you are saying: 'You are on watch,' and we had a few situations that could have ended in DNFs. When you listen to the radio communications, there is room for improvement."
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur says renewing Charles Leclercâs contract felt ânaturalâ after the team announced on Wednesday that the Monegasque will stay with Ferrari âfor the coming seasonsâ. Vasseur said: "Charles has been part of the Ferrari family for many years now, and this renewal feels like something very natural for us. Over these seasons we have seen him grow to become not only one of the strongest drivers in Formula 1, but also a person who is completely at one with the team and everything Ferrari represents. We appreciate his talent, we love his determination and the way he approaches every day with the people in the Scuderia, both on and off the track."
Pirelli will again supply its softest tyre range for the Monaco Grand Prix, with C3 as the hard, C4 the medium and C5 the soft â the same allocation used in Miami and Canada. Each driver will have two sets of hards, three mediums and eight softs, plus intermediates and full wets if needed, with an extra set of softs reserved for those who reach Q3.
Aston Martin will showcase a unique change to their livery for the Monaco Grand Prix.
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